


Such A Bitch

by HowILearnedToLoveTheBomb



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/F, Lesbian Azula (Avatar), Lesbian Ty Lee (Avatar), Ty Lee POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25933396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HowILearnedToLoveTheBomb/pseuds/HowILearnedToLoveTheBomb
Summary: Ty Lee’s heart thrilled in her chest. Azula sat on her heels, arrogant and composed as ever. But Ty Lee could read her like a book. She saw the way Azula avoided her eyes, avoided looking anywhere but her friend’s outstretched hands. It was so easy to ruffle her. Batting her eyelids, flattering her with a particularly adoring compliment, brushing the ends of her long hair over her arm as they walked past each other. Ty Lee did it all. Seeing the smallest twitch of a smile, or an imperceptible stammer in her words, or, her favourite, the slightest hint of pink on her cheeks was exhilarating, all the more for the rarity of anyone unsettling Azula. Anyone but Ty Lee of course.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Modern AU set in Ba Sing Se where Ty Lee has sworn off all emotionally unavailable closet cases, but finds herself swept away all over again. The Tyzula romcom you never knew you neededFor the Modern AU prompt for ATLA Femslash Week 2020
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Katara & Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai & Ty Lee (Avatar)
Comments: 29
Kudos: 255





	Such A Bitch

**Author's Note:**

> as i was writing this i was listening to angel olsen nonstop and it clearly bled into this piece. there is no way that the waiting by angel wasn't ty lees anthem. please enjoy. this one is for tyzula nation ✊✊✊
> 
> tw alcohol mention throughout

Ty Lee had recently arrived back in Ba Sing Se. Her bank account had been gutted by the months she spent backpacking around the Earth Kingdom. She was just finding herself, she said. More often than not she found herself working in a hostel, serving drinks to travellers equally drunk as she was a few weeks at a time before catching an overnight train to the next destination. And what did she find? A lot of bed bugs, a lot of messy nights falling out of a bunk into the bed of another stranger, a lot of walking off the beaten track, so to speak, for the chance of some novel and exhilarating experience. She made friends in each place and promised to keep in touch, forgetting to add them on instagram when she moved on. It’s all transient anyway.

Eventually she came home. Not home where she grew up, but the home she made for herself in Ba Sing Se when she’d just turned 18, chasing a dream in a dance troup that sometimes made it to the Middle Ring but that always had the biggest audiences when they set up on some street corner or marketplace with a upturned hat for whatever change anyone could spare. Her friends were there too: Mai leisurely pursuing a fashion degree, Zuko, who seemed as lost as she was, and Aang, the gentle hearted social worker often spotted playing football barefoot on concrete with the local kids. And then there was Auzla. It always came back to Azula. 

\---------------------

Ty Lee and Azula had history. Half the time that history involved Ty Lee whining “Why is she such a bitch?” at Mai after some fight where Azula had gone all hot and cold again, or called her an aimless tease, while Mai rolled her eyes as if to say “What did you expect?” She was so fucking uptight sometimes, mind like a high speed train waiting for a misplaced rock on the tracks. Where Ty Lee floated from place to place, person to person, Azula marched on her own. Maybe Ty Lee wanted what Azula had, maybe Azula wanted what Ty Lee had, but they both got sucked into the push and pull dance they found themselves in. They had nothing in common but the ability to pull each other’s strings, maybe pull each other apart if they let it happen. Until Ty Lee was restless and unsatisfied by yet another nasty comment directed her way and didn’t pick up the conversation again, until the day she sent Azula a message saying she was disappearing for a few months, maybe they could catch up when she got back? But of course, fucking Azula left her on read. But now she was back.

Ty Lee was a people person. Charming, open, flighty, she liked surprising people. It was easy enough to do. People were invariably on the back foot when she made an observation about themselves that even they did not know. She turned it into an enterprise so to speak. Through word of mouth and a sizable insta following she’d built up a decent market for whatever wellness wisdom and new age reassurance she came up with. People wanted security, safety, a kind word, someone to tell them they were on the right track. Sometimes they wanted to reflect their own desires, their own ideas they weren’t willing to own just yet. It came easily to Ty Lee, even if she did feel a little charging $5 for a star chart or tarot reading. But hey, how else was she going to pay for that to-die-for organic, natural, gluten free skincare kit she’d been pining for. It beat bartending, and most of the time people left feeling a little better about themselves, maybe even seen.

\----------------

They’d crashed back at Mai’s Middle Ring apartment after trying this cute little sushi place that had just opened up (Mai’s shout), and were watching some avant garde Kyoshi Island horror flick (shot on black and white film with a full orchestral backing) that Mai had been wanting to watch. Mai kept hushing Ty Lee when she tried to keep chatting over the top of the sound of discordant violins screeching, and Ty Lee was a little too disturbed to keep watching when the Opera Mask wearing characters started bleeding through the mask eye holes (“Ew!”) so she threw her legs across Mai’s lap, lay back, and started aimlessly playing on her phone. Maybe in the year that she had been gone the pool of potential dates on tinder that she hadn’t yet had a flailing date with had expanded. Ex (swipe left). Ex of an ex (swipe left). Man (swipe left). That cute instructor from the gym?! (swipe right). Couple looking for a third (swipe left). Tourist looking for a friend (swipe left). Blank profile (swipe left). The next profile caught her attention. 

Lee. 23. 💅 🌹 🔥 I don’t message first. If you don’t have a job or a car don’t bother.

There was a photo of a woman with toned arms in athletic wear - black tights with mesh bands, a red crop top, and designer sneakers that actually looked like they were used to exercise in, but the photo was cropped at the neck. The next photo was cropped in the same way, but she was wearing a fashionably tailored pantsuit. Intrigued, Ty Lee swiped to the next photo. A close shot of her eyes looking directly in the camera: impeccable eyeliner over golden eyes.

“Azula?!!!!”

Ty Lee sat bolt upright, kicking Mai’s legs in the process and making her jump with fright. She made an exasperated sigh, gave Ty Lee an “are you kidding me” look and paused the movie. The still was of an overturned jug with dark liquid spilling out. _What the hell is with this movie anyway?_ Ty Lee contorted her face into an apologetic grimace and pointed at her phone. 

“Since when does _Azula_ date women?”

“Huh. Looks like Azula, doesn't it. You’re surprised? I always thought you guys had something going on.”

Ty Lee had never gotten used to Mai’s frankness. She blushed and stumbled over her words. “Well, nothing ever really happened, I guess. I always kind of thought she might have been … but…” She hadn’t ever been so _pink_.

Mai had a point. She always had been something of a third wheel when they hung out together as friends. And Azula had always treated Ty Lee like something of a privileged confidant, drawing Ty Lee in with small pieces of her heart only for them to disappear at a moment’s notice behind a big stone wall. When she’d had enough of being a lovesick puppy she would throw herself into the other parts of her life that didn’t leave her so tangled up. Dancing, yoga, buying stupidly outrageous clothes she couldn’t afford or sewing them from scratch with Mai’s help, or just spending time with normal people who didn’t have so much baggage they couldn’t hold a normal conversation. But then she’d see her at a party and Azula’s eyes would flick up and down her like an involuntary twitch, and maybe she’d smirk at some story Ty Lee was telling her, and maybe she’d even pay her an uneasy compliment that came out awkwardly but because of that awkwardness it seemed even more sincere and she’d melt into a pathetic puddle on the floor again. When Ty Lee had left Ba Sing Se she swore off all emotionally unavailable closet cases. And now she was looking at the tinder profile of the most addictive emotionally unavailable not-so-closet case she’d ever met. _Fuck My Life._

“Do you really think it’s her?” Ty Lee thrust the phone into Mai’s hands.

Mai squinted down at the phone, looking at each photo in turn. Then she went to the page of the profile while Ty Lee anxiously looked over her shoulder, her arms wrapped around Mai’s neck.

“This would be a lot easier if you got off me,” she said, twitching her shoulder. 

“Aww, didn’t you miss me while I was gone,” Ty Lee cajoled, squeezing Mai tighter.

“Hey!” Mai swiped her finger slightly to the right, and the profile shook threateningly. “I’ll let go if you don’t!”

“No!’ Ty Lee sprung off her friend, nudging Mai’s arm as she did so. Mai’s finger lifted off the screen, and Azula’s profile disappeared right into the ether. Ty Lee gaped at the phone. Then she gaped at Mai.

“What the fuck, Maiiii?!” she squealed, throwing one cushion at Mai and squashing her face into another. She squeezed her eyes shut, listening to her own beating heart and the sound of sharp nasal exhalations that normally meant Mai was laughing. “I’m going to kill you” she muffled through the cushion. She was mortified. But coursing under that she felt the stirrings of anticipation, twisting into an ugly knot. _It’s all out in the air now, I guess._

\---------------------

They never matched. Ty Lee was less surprised than frustrated with herself for ever hoping she’d get a notification with a heart and Azula’s face on it. For all her recently acquired worldliness she was still getting her feelings hurt, reaching out, however unintentionally, and getting nothing back. But she was a new woman now. No pining. No pouting. No impulsive bad decisions she regretted the next morning. She was going to do something for _someone else_. Someone who actually cared about her. Mai. Her dear friend was sewing a beautiful formal dress last as her final project for the semester. Delays in the delivery of a particular silk from the Fire Nation meant she was scrambling until the last minute to get it finished. Desperate, she begged Ty Lee to go to this tiny little shop that had somehow sourced the only silk of this kind in Ba Sing Se, so Mai could spend all her time on pinning together the underlayers of the dress. She handed over her credit card and sent her off with a kiss on the cheek.

“Daddy’s credit card, huh Mai? I must be very trustworthy!” she sang with a glimmer in her eye while Mai rolled her eyes. “Just go. Hurry!”

That’s how she found herself rushing through the Upper Ring fashion district, ten minutes before the close of a luxury wholesale textiles boutique. _What kind of store closes at 2.30pm on a Wednesday afternoon?!_

The kind that catered to the exuberant tastes of the designers for the upper crust of Earth Kingdom society it turned out. Her face appeared at the door with 5 minutes to go. _Why is the door locked? God, please let me in or Mai will disown me._ A peevish face appeared in the window upon her insistent knocking. The pinched-faced woman barely tried to hide her disdain while she reluctantly opened the door.

“We close in just a few minutes. So whatever you want you had better be quick.”

Ty Lee slipped inside, and saw the whole interior was lined with beautiful silks and linens, some dyed and some raw. And it clashed terribly with her bright pink denim (studded and ripped). What passed as vibrant and daring in the Lower Ring looked terribly ratty in such refined surroundings. And didn’t the sales assistant let her know it. Ty Lee was unfazed however. She flipped her plait over her other shoulder and gave the woman a dazzling smile.

  
“Oh how _beautiful_ this shop is! I _wish_ I had more time to browse, but my friend rang up earlier about the red silk? The Akakazan Island silk? I’m picking it up for her. Mai was the name.”

“Oh.” The woman gave her an appraising look from over her glasses. “Well, I was expecting you a little earlier but I have it right here.” She dragged her fingers across a roll of fabric to her left, then dragged a few inches loose so Ty Lee could take a look. Blood red, with enough irregularity in the dye to make it interesting. 

“Gorgeous! I spent some time on Akakazan Island when I was younger. I used to drive by the workshops where they did the dying. The technique is a few hundred years old, isn’t it?” Of course, Ty Lee had only ever rode past the Island on a boat on her way to a decidedly less romantic destination, and she had seen a photo with a description on the internet one day when planning some weekend getaway and for some reason had committed it to memory. But salespeople like this normally loosened up if you gave them a chance to show off their knowledge. The woman raised her eyebrows proudly, but spoke with a faint smile. “Oh yes. About 500 years they’ve been using the same dyes, the same tools. Tremendously quaint but it does result in a beautiful product,” she sniffed. 

“So, you lived in the FIre Nation for a while? Studied there?” 

“I was actually born there! Although I’m often told I don’t look it,” she said with another dazzling smile.

They chatted with increasing animation while the sales assistant measured and cut several lengths of the beautiful silk, culminating with the woman telling Ty Lee about a rapturous affair she had with a Fire Nation boy. “It’s true what they say about Fire Nation men,” she said with a wink and a laugh. “I don’t suppose you girls are any better!” Ty Lee spent an anxious moment praying the card didn’t get declined (it didn’t) before hoisting the large roll onto her shoulder. The woman waved her out of the shop at almost 2.50pm, Ty Lee promising to come back soon, “but a little earlier next time!” As her smile receded as the afterglow of the conversation faded she was struck by the thought _God did I just get hit on? Weird._ But she shrugged it off. It wouldn’t be the first time.

She crossed the wide plazas of the Upper Ring, pausing periodically to switch the fabric from one shoulder to the other. Ty Lee was fit, but the fabric was cumbersome and awkward to carry, especially when she had to walk all the way to the train station, tucked away from the main centre of the ring. They didn’t want the common rabble getting around too easily it seemed. It was hot in the sun, even more so because it seemed to radiate off the stone paths. She couldn’t even stop to take off her jacket because if she missed the train she’d have to wait another _twenty_ minutes for the next one (another way to keep the rabble out), and Mai had already texted her twice asking how long away she was. Good thing she didn’t, because the train was just pulling into the station when she turned the corner onto the platform, juggling the fabric, her bag, and her train pass trying to tap on before it left. The overhead speakers announced it was just about to leave when she ran to the nearest train door, which was closing. There was a woman just inside who simply watched as she approached. _Why doesn’t she hold the door for me? Oh My God! I hate the Upper Ring!_

Thankfully a middle aged man sprung forward from inside the carriage to hold open the door for her at the last minute. She almost whacked the woman with the roll of silk and she turned to thank the man, who was simpering profusely. She turned around again to shoot the woman a nasty glare, who ducked to avoid the silk again. Ty Lee’s jaw dropped. The woman of her dreams and nightmares, who played her like a fiddle again and again, dressed head to toe in impeccably stylish business formal, her hands clasped around a sleek briefcase, with not a hair out of place. Ty Lee felt the blood rush to her face. Of all carriages in all the trains in all of Ba Sing Se she stumbled into the one person she wasn’t sure if she couldn’t live with or couldn’t live without.

“Azula!”

For her part, Azula looked just as shocked as she did. It took a moment for the dumbfounded look on her face to be replaced with something a little more characteristic of her; a slightly critical tilt of her eyebrow, but the small tug on her lips made her appear almost afraid. That is until Ty Lee stepped forward with an arm outstretched to give her a one armed hug. For what else could she do? Seeing Azula so unexpectedly, looking so … _Azula_ … broke all her resolve to move on. And it only got worse as she held her. Her chin just reached Azula’s shoulder, and she felt her friend’s body, that had stiffened on contact, relax into hers. Well, at least the half of her that wasn’t obstructed by the large roll of fabric. Azula’s hand found Ty Lee’s back, and then she drew away. 

“Well Ty Lee, what are you doing here?” she said, shaking her head as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.

“Oh, you know,” she said, gesturing casually to the huge roll on her shoulder, “I’m picking some things up for Mai. You’ll never believe this old woman I bought it off! I thought she was going to ask me out!”

_Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Azula always gets weird about stuff like that._ But if she had said something wrong, Azula did not show it. She merely looked bemused.

“I mean, what are you doing _here_ , back in Ba Sing Se? I thought you were off in the mountains somewhere.”

“Right! Well I’ve been back maybe a month. I just got a job back at Little Kyoshi’s, you know that bar in the Lower Ring? Uhh-”

_Shit._ Of course Azula knew Little Kyoshi’s. Ty Lee used to work nights there, wiping tables and pouring drinks, most of the time getting distracted by the gang of her friends who turned up every other night for drinks sold to them at mates rates, as long as her manager June wasn’t watching. One night she clocked off early, and saw that, for once, Azula had deigned to join her and the rag tag group she normally hung out with. But the night ended badly. Katara, the beautiful and opinionated environmentalist from a grassroots NGO whom Ty Lee knew through Aang, who always butted heads with the ever lofty Azula, remarked “Didn’t think we’d see you slumming it down here with the rest of us.” Before Azula could reply with some causic insult, Zuko laughed. “She’d go anywhere for Ty Lee.” _Uh oh._ A small hush fell over the group. Sokka, Katara’s smartass brother, let out a gleeful “oooooooooooh,” but worse yet, Mai _scoffed_. Sensing impending disaster, Ty Lee turned in her seat to Azula and put her hands on her shoulders. “Don’t listen to them, Azula. They’re only joking,” she implored.

Azula looked from Katara, to Sokka, to her brother, to Mai. She then looked down at Ty Lee’s pleading face. Then to Ty Lee’s hands, that were haltingly being withdrawn, and then clasped together. _Oh shit._ She was seething with barely disguised fury. 

“You’re right. Why _am_ I slumming it with the likes of you all? You’re pathetic.”

This last comment fell as she directed her gaze at Ty Lee. It was as if she had plunged her hand into Ty Lee’s chest and dug her nails into her heart. After waiting a beat, she pushed past Toph, who was caught unawares by the movement, “hey, watch it,” and slammed the door of the bar behind her. The group dissolved into hushed giggles and guilty looks. Mai caught Ty Lee’s eye and gave her an apologetic look, while Ty Lee put on a false laugh. “Zuko, you know better than that!” she beseeched. Poor Ty Lee spent the rest of the night sunkern into her seat, animating only when the conversation turned to her.

Even now, on the train, a momentary shadow passed over the two. Azula, too, seemed to be remembering the same night, for her brows knitted into a small frown. “Yes, I know of it,” she said curtly. Ty Lee felt her face fall as the awkwardness set in between them. She was suddenly aware she was on the crowded train, now entering the Middle Ring. The automated disembodied voice of the train announced they would be arriving in Wu Square, only a few minutes from Mai’s apartment. Jumping for her phone, she texted:

_Heeyy almost at wu suqare :) You wont believe who is on the train with me omg_

_The silk looks pretty! Ill msg when im out front x_

When she looked up from the phone, Azula was watching her. 

“I - I like your jacket, Ty Lee. It suits you.”

Ty Lee looked at her jacket. Bright pink. Half the studs falling off. Shabby chic maybe, but definitely not to Azula’s taste. She snorted. “Really? Maybe you can borrow it one day.” And she winked. _Is Azula blushing??_ Azula rolled her eyes. “Obviously I won’t.” But the side of her mouth twisted into a half smile.

WU SQUARE. DOORS OPENING.

Ty Lee leapt to attention, grabbing at the silk lying slack in her arms. 

“Oh! This is me!”

Before she could step towards the door, Azula took her arm.

“Wait- let’s get a drink soon. Catch up properly, not like this.”

Ty Lee raised her eyes to Azula’s, and almost swooned under their intensity. She blinked, then broke into a toothy grin.

“Sure! Message me! Byeee!”

And as she ran for the now closing door, Azula’s arm fell limp by her side.

\------------------

Ty Lee lay on her stomach on Mai’s couch, kicking her feet behind her and resting her chin on the arm rest. Mai was frowning in concentration, pins in her mouth as she fixed a sweeping cape over the back of the dress donned by the manikin. It was a timeless design, evocative of Fire Nation fashion from 60 years ago but made terribly modern by the minimal design flourishes. It was uncharacteristically bright for a Mai piece, with yellows and that beautiful Akakazan red silk, but it’s not like she was making it for herself. She had been in a bad mood all day as her deadline drew ever closer, and Ty Lee’s insistence that they light some lavender essence in an oil burner did little to calm her temper. Nor did she seem interested in trying fermented yak butter tea that was sold from a bougie Air Nomad cafe a couple of blocks away.

“I used to have this every day before morning meditation when I was staying in the Eastern Air temple! I swear it really helps you to focus! I know the owners aren’t actually Air Nomad but it’s really authentic!”

“Do you want to make me sick? I might be able to focus better if you stopped interrupting me.”

Poor Mai. She said it without any bite under that flat voice of hers. She flicked her bored friend a pitying glance. Earlier that day Ty Lee had rung her up having kittens over the text she had received from Azula.

_“She wants to take me to some wine bar near her work in the Upper Ring. She told me to wear something nice. I don’t have anything nice! I work in a dive bar! What is she thinking?!”_

_“Well tell her to meet you somewhere else.”_

_“I already said yes!”_

Mai had invited her over with the offer of letting her borrow something. But she was coming to regret her generosity, because Ty Lee changed the topic every time Mai brought it up, and seemed intent on distracting her incessantly.

“Why don’t you see if there is anything you can wear in my closet.”

Ty Lee sighed and walked to Mai’s enormous walk-in wardrobe. From the living room Mai could hear clothes being pushed along the racks, and a suspicious crashing sound. _Jesus Christ Ty Lee._

“Maii, don’t you have anything pink? Or anything a bit… I don’t know... lighter? This is all so…” She didn’t need to finish the sentence. _This is all so blah._ Sure it looked good on Mai, but this wasn’t Ty Lee. 

“Are you kidding me, Ty Lee? You realise it’s me you’re talking to?”

Ty Lee slunk back into the living room, looking despondent.

“Why don’t you give Katara a call? She’s about your size.”

An hour later and Ty Lee was standing with Katara in front of her considerably more modest dressing cabinet. Ty Lee bit her nails. It looked like a sea of blue. It brought out Katara’s pretty blue eyes, but it drained Ty Lee’s complexion.

“What about this one?”

“Hmm it’s pretty, but I’m not sure.”

“This one? It’s a nice dress. You can even keep it! I never wear it.”

Ty Lee tilted her head. _Really? Bright yellow?_

“Aang bought it for me…”

“Ah.” _Right. Won’t ask._ Ty Lee looked behind a large fur coat and saw a little white dress. She pulled it out and held it against her body. Sleeveless, with a high enough neck to be modest but the skirt was short enough to be eye-catching. 

“This could work!” She ducked behind the cabinet door to try it on, while Katara waited.

“You still haven’t told me who your date is with,” Katara said, with a hint of teasing in her voice. Ty Lee had been dreading this question. Azula stood against everything that Katara stood for. There was no way she would approve.

“I never said it was a _date_...” 

“Oh shut up. I’ve never seen you look so nervous.”

Ty Lee side-stepped the question. “How do I look?” She shut the cabinet door, revealing the dress.

“Wow. Perfect!” She stood admiring Ty Lee for a good few seconds, looking her up and down. Then, “don’t think I haven’t noticed you still haven’t told me who your date is.”

“Alright fine. But promise not to get mad.”

“Who? Oh my God. Don’t tell me it’s your manager?”

“June? No!” Ty Lee considered for a moment. “Although I wouldn’t say no to a date with her…” and giggled. Almost every patron of Little Kyoshi’s had a terrified crush on June, including Ty Lee.

“Who then?”

Ty Lee took in a deep breath then scrunched up her face, bracing for impact.

“Azula.” 

Katara’s jaw dropped. “You are kidding me.” Ty Lee held her palms out and shrugged, but couldn’t hold back a smile. Katara looked deeply unimpressed.

“I don’t know how you can stand her!” Katara was gesticulating wildly now. “She’s such a-”

“A bitch. I know.” They looked eye to eye, Katara folding her arms. “Ugh. Wear the dress. You’ll knock her socks off,” she said, throwing her hands in the air. “As long as you know what you’re getting yourself into. _Again._ ” 

“I do,” Ty Lee said, and threw her arms around Katara. _I think._

\--------------------

Ty Lee was running late. She couldn’t afford a cab to the Upper Ring so she had to get on a train that went all the way through the Lower Ring loop, switch platforms at the University of Ba Sing Se in the Middle Ring, then get on another train to the Upper Ring. And of course she ran out of money on her train pass and had to scrounge for coins at the bottom of her bag to get her connecting train, which she subsequently missed. She was bouncing on her feet, staring at the timetable, willing the next train to come early, knowing it never would. Azula _hated_ tardiness. She sent a stream of apologetic texts, lying about the train being late and how it totally wasn’t her fault for fussing around at home with her dress and what shoes to wear and whether or not she’d need a jacket. She always seemed to underestimate how long it took to actually leave the apartment, and frankly she didn’t see the point in worrying about lateness. But now she’d be off on the wrong foot straight away. 

Azula sent back a brief reply, asking her to message when she was getting close. When the train was pulling into Kuei plaza, Ty Lee quickly took a flattering angled selfie with a view of the platform behind her, and sent it to Azula. 

She had almost arrived at the wine bar when she received a one word reply.

_Cute._

She felt her heart flutter. But then a worried little voice told her not to forget who she was meeting. _This is Azula. Don’t get carried away._ She tried to temper her expectations, but it was so so hard when she was about to spend her evening with the smartest, most beautiful woman in the world. The woman who oozed both terrific confidence and shaky insecurity, who gave her everything and nothing. And there she was, sitting, waiting for her at the bar. 

Azula looked like she was still wearing her work clothes. High-waisted black pants cropped above her ankles, a black blouse with the top few buttons undone ( _interesting_ ), and a brilliant red blazer. She wore an expensive watch with a broad face, and had pulled her black hair back into an elegant bun, allowing but a few strands to frame her face. She was loosely clasping a glass of red wine in one hand, and was typing something on her phone with her other hand. Distracted by her phone, Ty Lee had a chance to size her up, and to try to regain her breath. She thought that, this time, being prepared to see Azula would make her less nervous. But between their run in on the train, the unexpected invitation, and this moment, her thoughts had been racing into each other. The moment of mutual recognition and surprise on the train the other day, the way Azula had placed her hand on Ty Lee’s arm and had let it drag across her skin as Ty Lee walked away, the uncertainty of whether Azula had even seen her tinder profile after Mai accidentally swiped right. It was like a fever that had reached its boiling point. 

She must have lingered in the doorway, for the bartender interrupted her trance, informing her there was more seating upstairs. She jumped, and answered in all too loud of a voice that she was meeting someone. Half the bar turned to look at her, but she had eyes only for Azula, who seemed to be frozen in place. As Ty Lee walked towards her, stepping between bar stools and people pressing into each other to order, Azula settled her stiff features into something that looked a little more confident. She smiled with pursed lips when Ty Lee leant forward to kiss her cheek as she took a seat at the bar. Ty Lee felt her eyes on her as she took off her pearl pink coat (she had decided she would need a jacket) and hung it, along with her bag, on the hook by their chairs.

“I was wondering when you’d turn up,” she began reproachfully. Ty Lee apologised, deflated at the prospect of dealing with a nettled Azula all night long. Trying to change the conversation she asked Azula what she was drinking.

“It’s a petit verdot. Fire Nation of course. You wouldn’t like it, plus I already ordered you something.”

And as she spoke, the bartender placed down a glass of rosé and a cheeseboard. Ty Lee looked down at the glass. Then, before he left, and without turning first to Azula, she passed the wine back to to the bar tender. “I’d prefer a gin and tonic,” she said, pointing at the chalkboard, “with the finger lime, please!” She faced Azula again, smiling still. “I don’t like rosé very much.”

“Well, I just thought-”

“That I’d like it because it’s pink?” she giggled. “You’re so sweet. Anyway, I’ve never had finger lime before. I’ve never even heard of it!”

Azula looked speechless for a moment. Ty Lee knew just how this game went. And once upon a time she would have just drank the goddamn rosé. But not tonight. They were both testing the waters, but she wouldn’t be swept up in that same old bullshit. They faced each other, not speaking, while the bartender mixed her drink. 

“Thanks!”

She inspected the glass. Finger lime, as it turned out looked like roe, that burst acid in her mouth. Charming, but maybe just a regular slice of lemon would suffice.They both took a sip of their drinks, quite unsure what to say. Azula was like a cagey animal. But Ty Lee had a toy she might like.

“I bought you something. When I was away, I mean. I have it here, if you’d like it?”

Azula raised an eyebrow as Ty Lee rummaged through her bag. The surprisingly heavy item, small enough to fit in her palm, was still hastily wrapped in the tissue paper it had been bought in. She pushed it across the bar to Azula, who fixed Ty Lee with a suspicious look before picking it up.

“Thank-you,” she said stiffly.

“Don’t thank me yet. You might hate it,” Ty Lee said with enough mischief in her voice that Azula’s serious expression almost broke.

She made decisive little tears in the tissue, plucking the adhesive tape with short manicured nails. _Those are new._ From the packaging she pulled out a ferocious little jade dragon. As she turned it over in her hands, Ty Lee explained she had picked it up in the northwest of the Earth Kingdom, in a little mountain village near a jade mine. “It made me think of you.” _Cold, hard, kind of scary, expensive. But also beautiful, elegant, complex._ It was because of this she had agonised over whether to buy it or not, leaving the tourist stall deciding against it, only to come running back before the stall closed because it had been bothering her all day that she had left it behind. She wasn’t sure she would ever even give it to Azula, so she left it unwrapped as if she didn’t really care.

It would not surprise Ty Lee if Azula had picked up that subtext. But she looked momentarily softened. She placed the dragon carefully on the bar between them and cleared her throat.

“Why don’t you tell me about the rest of your trip.”

The conversation warmed as Ty Lee spoke at length about the places she stayed, dangerous near misses on the back of a motor-bike, the strangest food she tried, the animals she saw, the places she wanted to visit again, the cities with the best club scene, the most she was ripped off at one time. Azula mainly listened, but Ty Lee’s voice filled in all the awkward space between them like soft cotton wool. In some ways Ty Lee really was the more daring of the two. Azula was so single-mindedly ambitious, she lacked many of the experiences Ty Lee sought out. Sometimes, she felt like Azula was living though her, content to know if she ever did want to forget about whatever her current goal was, there was someone who had done it before. And, moreover, she could be so prissy it was easy to provoke her.

“You slept on the floor?”

“Better than in the bed with the bedbugs.”

Azula looked revolted. "Are you joking?"

“No I'm not! I can certainly think of someone better to share a bed with, can't you?” Ty Lee dared.

No response other than a little pink on her cheeks and a raised eyebrow. _Too easy._

It was… nice. The food was good. The drinks were good. And Azula… there was something a little different about her. She leaned into their conversation more. Was less distracted when Ty Lee spoke. She even answered a phone call with a roll of her eyes, only to apologise to Ty Lee and waspishly tell the caller to ring back tomorrow. Her golden eyes were like pins, pricking Ty Lee wherever they fell. Where they punctured her, everything spilled forth.

It actually felt like _a date_. She wasn’t just being evasive with Katara earlier in the day. She really didn’t know what she was walking into tonight. Before she went away, they often spent time together, one-on-one. But normally at one of their apartments, or somewhere during the day. She often got the impression that Azula didn’t want to be seen with her. Not like that. And, yes, it hurt. But then, Azula was at her sweetest when it was just them. Softer eyes, softer smiles, softer hands. 

One time Ty Lee woke up, almost drooling onto Azula’s shoulder while clinging to her arm. She’d held onto Azula’s arm under the pretense of being scared of the slasher movie they were watching (okay maybe she was a little scared), and had eventually fallen asleep like that. She had left her like that, not moving her arm until Ty Lee stirred. 

“I wondered when you’d give me my arm back.”

Ty Lee, still half-asleep, pouted, and put a cushion down on Azula’s lap. Like a little lap cat, she curled up there, sensing Azula’s hands hesitating, before coming to rest in her hair. 

It seemed worth it, at the time. Tonight however, in a fancy bar near Azula’s work, buying her drinks and food, not moving her hand when Ty Lee’s fingers brushed against hers; she almost felt like she was being shown off. She was the prettiest girl in the room. 

She excused herself. When she walked past Azula she trailed her hand along her arm, squeezing her shoulder before letting go. Warm. Even through the material of her shirt. What she wouldn’t give to feel that bare skin. In the bathroom she looked at her reflection. Her cheeks were flushed. Her hair had become a little frizzy. Her mascara was bleeding a little. But she didn’t care. The swirling doubts at the back of her, _what’s different about tonight, why is she being so nice_ , momentarily pushed aside. She wanted to remember this moment as a completely happy one.

Mai had texted her wanting to know how she was going. Her eternal protector. Ty Lee took a photo of her blowing a kiss into the camera in response and walked back to the bar. But something was wrong. Azula wasn’t at the bar. Dread pierced her. _Tonight was too good to be true._ She walked slowly to the spot they had been sitting. Her handbag and coat were still hanging from their hook. The little jade dragon still glimmered on the bar. Azula’s drink, half finished with a lipstick imprint next to it. Azula’s bag, still under the bar stool?! Ty Lee was just looking over the heads of the crowded bar for Azula’s characteristic bun when the bartender said, “Your girlfriend just went outside.” _Where have you gone, Azula?_ She didn’t bother correcting him in her rush to the door. 

She saw her as soon as she stepped outside. Ty Lee’s legs almost shook from the relief that was flooding her. Azula’s back was turned to the bar entrance. She was pacing back and forth, and although her voice was lowered, her clipped tone resonated across the footpath. Whomever was on the other end of the phone call, Ty Lee did not envy them. She felt herself spellbound by the display of controlled anger. Azula could make almost anyone bow to her wishes. And sure, Ty Lee normally got what she wanted, but that usually involved some ego massaging. People never took her seriously. So it was always with a rush that she watched Azula just take what she wanted. 

She dragged her feet across the pavement, so that Azula would hear her approach. 

“What did you think would happen if you let him speak to the press without running it past me first? He’s a cold fish on camera unless he’s been prepped… Jesus, who was asking that?... from BSS media?”

Azula caught Ty Lee’s eye, barely contained rage seething behind the surface. She rolled her eyes at something the person on the phone had said.

“Of course it’s fucking Long Feng! Who else would it be?”

Ty Lee bit her lip. Azula was a staffer for an aging Minister representing the Eastern wards of Upper Ring of Ba Sing Se, who had so far managed to be reelected every four years despite achieving nothing but tax breaks for the conglomerates that ruled the Earth Kingdom’s market. Even at her young age, her talent for wrangling the Minister had gotten her attention from the party leaders. But it seemed on her night off, something had gone amiss. Ty Lee had just taken a step back towards the bar, resolving to wait until Azula had finished, when Azula’s hand firmly grasped her wrist. 

“Hold on. _Your_ stuff up has interrupted _my_ engagement,” she said into the phone, before turning it away from her mouth. Again, she rolled her eyes, and said to Ty Lee, “Go back inside and order some dessert,” she shook her head slightly, “- or whatever it is you want. I’ll fix this up and be back as soon as I can.” She gave her what could be an apologetic look, and turned back to her phone call. 

Ty Lee sat back at the bar and nursed her glass of moscato, staring at Azula’s little dragon. _Looks like it’s just me and you._ She had almost finished the second glass when Azula returned. The fire in her eyes only dampened when she saw Ty Lee, sitting slack at the bar. 

“I can’t have a night off without something screwing up. I swear I’m the only competent person in the whole office,” she said, fidgeting uncomfortably with her wrists.

“You’re so talented, Azula. No one would get anything done without you…” Ty Lee replied, quite lamely. She felt like she could cry.

Azula scanned Ty Lee’s face uneasily. She brought her hand forward, then hesitated. But she was committed to the action. Azula ran her fingers through the hair that fell loose of Ty Lee’s plait, and turned her cheek to face her.

“I’m-” she sniffed. “I’m sorry, Ty Lee.” _Sorry for being a shitty date. Sorry to get your hopes up. Sorry for being a bitch._

Ty Lee spoke so softly Azula had to lean in to hear her.

“I thought we might get through one night without you brushing me off.” _Just one night where I was the most important thing to you._

\--------------------

It was a few days before she heard from her. Ty Lee was walking to her shift at Little Kyoshi’s when she got a phone call.

“Hey Azula.”

“Hello Ty Lee. Are you busy tonight?”

_Business as usual then._ Her voice didn’t give away anything. Certainly not of the very uncomfortable way in which they had parted at the wine bar.

“Actually, I am.”

“Oh.”

Ty Lee didn’t say anything. She wanted Azula to know a little bit how she felt. She’d drag whatever sense of retribution she could out of this conversation.

Azula made a noise like she was clearing her voice, then said “well, I won’t keep you then.”

The note of disappointment in her voice held in the air for a moment. Ty Lee frowned. _Why does she have to make this so hard?_

“I’m having some people over tomorrow night. You know, the usual gang. You’re welcome to come too.” She thought for a moment. _Too soft._ “If you don’t mind _slumming it_ with us, of course.” She said it in the breeziest voice she could muster, and, practically seeing Azula scowl, she suppressed a giggle.

“That sounds… nice.”

“Great! I’ll text you the details.”

When the phone call ended, Ty Lee didn’t know who had come out on top.

\-----------------------

Ty Lee’s place was tiny. It was a two bedroom apartment she shared with Suki (who was hardly ever home because she was always staying with Sokka), that was for all intents and purposes falling to pieces. But they covered the cracks in the walls with posters and paintings, the loose floorboards with rugs, and every surface with silly little treasures they had found. She spent all day tidying with Suki, who had to frequently remind her to keep on task when she was distracted (“Oh! I’ve been looking for that for _ages!_ ”), until the place looked halfway decent, if you ignored the mould growing in the corner of the bathroom ceiling (“How many times are we going to have to call the landlord about that?!). They stuffed an ice box with cheap tins of beer, and piled their little square dining table with snacks.

Mai arrived first, followed by Aang, Sokka, and Katara, then Zuko and Toph, then some of the other Kyoshi dancers who were really Suki’s friends more than hers but with whom she got along with all the same. It was something of a welcome home get together, the first time everyone had been free on the same night. As happy as she was to see her friends all together again, she couldn’t help but look at her phone to see how long before Azula arrived. Ty Lee had told Azula the gathering started an hour after she told everyone else, as she was nothing if not punctual. Ty Lee would have rather died that bridge a conversation between Azula and Suki, as there was nothing Azula loved more than to goad her into an argument. As 8.30pm approached, everyone had fallen into easy, and increasingly loud, conversation.

There was a knock at the door. _Right on time._ Ty Lee sidestepped bags and coats on the floor, almost tripping in her rush. Azula was standing a little back from the threshold, half in shadow. Ty Lee took the opportunity to take her in. She had let her hair down tonight, and was wearing tight black jeans and a very cute red crop top. Ty Lee’s gaze lingered on the gap where her tummy showed. But her eyes snapped to Azula’s porcelain face when she said “Hello Ty Lee.” She pressed something into her hands before she could reply. “I got you these. For tonight.” _A bottle of gin, and… finger limes?_

“Where did you even get these?!”

“Oh, it was nothing. Just a tucked away fruit shop somewhere.”

_Oh Azula._ Ty Lee threw her arms around Azula’s neck, and after a moment Azula pulled her close by the waist. With her face so close to her neck, she could smell the woody scent of her perfume. Pulling back she looked right into Azula’s eyes.“Thanks for coming tonight! Everyone is already here,” she said, stepping back so Azula could see into the tiny living room, crowded with bodies. As Azula moved forward, Ty Lee stopped her with a hand to her stomach.

“Just… play nice tonight. Please.”

Azula flicked her hair over her shoulder with a smirk. 

“Oh Ty Lee, I always play nice.”

And Ty Lee did not know whether to laugh or to cry.

The room had gone quiet when Azula appeared in the doorway. Suki and Katara exchanged dark glances, while Sokka actually groaned. Toph was the only one who seemed unbothered by Azula’s arrival. She waved her seeing eye cane, which she used as much to deliberately whack her friends on the back of their legs as she did to navigate, and practically yelled “Her highness has arrived!” The tension broke into sniggers, and when Azula merely replied, “Good to see you too, Beifong,” Ty Lee felt she could relax, somewhat. She waited until Azula settled herself next to Mai and Zuko before returning to mingle with her guests. 

She didn’t exactly _avoid_ Azula during the night, but she didn’t rush in to save her from some adversarial conversation she found herself in. If Azula couldn’t put up with one night where she wasn’t the centre of attention, where she didn’t come first, well then, they were through. And even if they didn’t spend the night talking, Ty Lee felt her eyes on her all night while she moved around the room. When she was feeling kind, she’d glance back at Azula with warmth in her eyes. And when she wasn’t, she’d laugh a little extra harder at the stupid joke Sokka was telling, or put her hand on Suki’s shoulder. Whatever she did, Azula would look quickly away. It was like a dance. 

At one point during the night Ty Lee noticed Azula enter the kitchen after Katara from across the room. _Oh no._ She edged closer so she could overhear the conversation. Azula was asking Katara about some area of greenspace that Katara’s organisation had been petitioning for consideration for protection from pollution, logging, and industrial dumping. It was a heated issue that had been a cause Katara had been championing for months now. Notably, Azula’s party had been stonewalling any environmental protection bills. Just about every person at the gathering had been an audience to Katara’s frustration, and now knew to avoid the topic. And Azula brought it up with all the subtlety of a hand grenade.

“Well from _my_ understanding, it’s a zoning issue.”

Katara spluttered. “A zoning issue?! It’s an issue of those big companies your political party represents thinking they can dump their toxic sludge into any waterway they please!”

Azula made an exaggerated sigh. “ _Think about it._ Would the “toxic sludge” end up in your wetlands if the points of entry that industry uses to dump their waste were rezoned? Into something residential maybe? No-one wants industrial chemicals being dumped into their neighbourhood”

Katara, while still irritated, seemed to lower her guard slightly. “What are you talking about? Just say what you mean, Azula.”

“I’m saying that your petitions and placards approach isn’t working.”

“It’s not - It’s not a petitions and placards approach!”

“Just _listen_. I might be able to pull some strings and put you in touch with someone who could be a useful ally if you play your cards right.”

Katara scoffed. “Who?”

“Mr Li. Property developer. Very close with some high ranking members of government. I’m sure you could work something out.”

Azula left the kitchen and almost bumped into Ty Lee. Seeing her questioning look, she said “What? I was playing nice, wasn’t I?” When Ty Lee looked skeptical, Azula continued. 

“She was never going to get anywhere making a fuss about some stinking swamp. I was just doing her a favour.” Azula gave her a conspiratorial look, and Ty Lee couldn’t help but laugh. She reached for Azula’s hand. 

“Do you have any idea how long she’s been going on about those wetlands for?” 

And with an air of utmost innocence, Azula said, “Well, I guessed I might be doing you a favour too.”

Ty Lee left Azula with one last squeeze of her hand, and went into the kitchen where Katara was ashen faced, staring into nothing. She finally looked up at Ty Lee.

“I don’t know how you can stand her. Even when she’s being nice she’s such a bitch.”

\---------------

The night dragged on comfortably. The larger group had split up into cliques. Katara was making some food for Aang and Toph in the kitchen (the snacks had long since been eaten), Sokka was trying, unsuccessfully, to make polite conversation with Mai, and Ty Lee had been hailed over to a group of the Kyoshi dancers to do a tarot reading for one dancer, Jun, while Zuko watched on. Ty Lee was drawing the final three cards when she heard Zuko say, “It’s not like you to take a night off.” Azula had joined the group without her noticing. Ty Lee flipped the first card: 

“Hierophant, reversed. Personal beliefs, freedom, challenging the status quo.”

She heard Azula’s smooth reply. “No, I suppose it’s not. But that’s besides the point. Tonight seemed as good as any other to take a break. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you all.”

“Knight of pentacles. Hard work, productivity, routine, conservatism.”

“Like you missed us at all. I thought you were married to that job.”

Ty Lee turned around. “Guuuuys, I’m trying to concentrate.” She flipped the last card.

‘Two of swords. Difficult decisions, weighing up options, an impasse, avoidance.”

She heard Azula and Zuko continue, quietly now. 

“Well actually, I’ve been considering quitting. I think I’m wasting my talents and not getting the recognition I deserve. I’m trying to decide the best way forward.”

“Well maybe you should ask Ty Lee. Only five bucks a pop.”

_This is too much._ All of a sudden, Ty Lee didn’t want all these eyes on her.

‘“Jun, I’m sorry. Can I finish this another time? I’m kind of tired. I can analyse this another time.”

Jun shrugged, and Ty Lee made a bee-line for her room without so much as a backwards glance. The room was dark, save for the candle in the oil burner she had forgotten to blow out. Ylang ylang, rose, geranium. She put her face in her hands. _Why is my heart racing so fast?_ She listened to each beat until it began to slow. When the door abruptly opened behind her she almost fell over.

“Azula! You gave me a heart attack!”

“You’re such a scaredy cat, Ty Lee.” 

She slipped into the room but didn’t come any closer to Ty Lee, moving instead around the edge of the room, looking at Ty Lee’s possessions. For all her bluff, she looked quite as nervous as Ty Lee.

“I like that … elephant thing,” she said, pointing at a hanging of The Four Harmonious Friends that Ty Lee had bought at an Air Nomad temple. When she realised Ty Lee wasn’t going to say anything she tried again, taking a step closer. 

“I’ve been thinking, maybe I need to reprioritise some things. Maybe there is some wisdom for me in that deck of cards of yours.” 

Ty Lee couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Azula had never humoured her like this. At most she had rolled her eyes when Ty Lee spoke about anything metaphysical. An eternal skeptic. _Maybe… just maybe…_ Azula _had_ followed her to her room. Alone. Standing there before her, staring at her nails like she didn’t care. Only she did. And it made Ty Lee’s head spin.

She stepped towards Azula.

“I don’t think I can do a tarot reading for you. My deck needs to be cleansed. It’s energy is all off tonight.”

A little crease appeared in Azula’s brow. “Oh.” _She has no idea what that means, does she?_

Ty Lee took another step towards her, so they were only a couple of feet apart. Azula looked at her apprehensively. She lowered her gaze to Azula’s hands, which were firmly clasped together, her knuckles white. They came apart easily when Ty Lee took them in her own.

“I could read you your future,” Ty Lee said, her voice soft. She turned Azula’s hand palm up, and drew a line from her wrist to the centre, making Azula shiver.

“Okay.” Azula’s voice was just as soft.

Ty Lee lit extra candles about them, and placed two cushions on the floor for them to sit on. They could hear the base of the music drift up the stairs, and occasional bouts of laughter from the gathering below. 

Ty Lee’s heart thrilled in her chest. Azula sat on her heels, arrogant and composed as ever. But Ty Lee could read her like a book. She saw the way Azula avoided her eyes, avoided looking anywhere but her friend’s outstretched hands. It was so easy to ruffle her. Batting her eyelids, flattering her with a particularly adoring compliment, brushing the ends of her long hair over her arm as they walked past each other. Ty Lee did it all. Seeing the smallest twitch of a smile, or an imperceptible stammer in her words, or, her favourite, the slightest hint of pink on her cheeks was exhilarating, all the more for the rarity of _anyone_ unsettling Azula. Anyone but Ty Lee of course. 

But this time it was Ty Lee who felt unsettled. Normally touch came easy to her. But she handled Azula’s slender fingers like they were made of glass, her own fingers hesitating over Azula’s open palm. She took the time to regain her breath, noting the firm muscle of Azula’s forearm, the smoothness of her skin. When she felt ready, she began.

“Long palm. Slender fingers, but short.” She looked up at Azula, who raised an eyebrow at her. “That’s the shape of fire.” Ty Lee gave a nervous laugh. “Strong willed. Ambitious. Confident. That sounds just like you.” The side of Azula’s mouth tugged into an involuntary smile and Ty Lee looked quickly down again, before she could have a chance to stare. She manipulated Azula’s hand so the candlelight revealed the shape of the planes of her palm, determined not to notice how pliant she was.

“Mount of Jupiter; again, ambition. Leadership. Strength. Yours is very well developed.” Again, Ty Lee chanced a look at Azula, before looking down again. “Are you sure you want to leave politics?”

“Mm.”

“Mount of Mercury.” Ty Lee touched the bud underneath Azula’s pinky finger. “Wit, adaptation, sharp tongue. Must be why you’re such a smartass.” Azula’s eyes flashed, before she saw Ty Lee was teasing her.

“Just get on with it.”

“Mount of Venus.” Ty Lee traced her index finger very slowly over the base of Azula’s thumb. “Ahh…” She felt the blood rush to her cheeks. “Magnetism, charisma, passion. Very uh… robust.” She heard Azula’s breath hitch, but refused to meet her eyes.

“The head line.” She pointed to the deep straight line with a break in the middle. “You can be a little rigid sometimes. But you think deeply and clearly.” Ty Lee moved to the short line perpendicular to her thumb. “The life line. You are autonomous. Not bound by fate. Your own decisions create your destiny.” Lastly, Ty Lee ran her finger along the topmost line of Azula’s palm. “The love line.” It was short, beginning below Azula’s middle finger, and forked across its length.

Ty Lee’s head swam when she thought what she might say. _Hidden depths. Cold, shallow. Sweet, caring, lost. Fickle, capricious, non-committal. Broken, cruel, unloveable. Unable to love, you’re never going to love me._

“I don’t know what it says. I can’t read it.”

Aang’s loud laughter echoed into the room, and the muffled shouts of Toph and Katara could be heard over the din. Ty Lee realised that Azula had been holding her breath.

“What do you _mean_ you can’t read it? What’s the point of this all if you can’t read it,” Azula said sharply. Azula looked furious, and Ty Lee chuckled despite herself.

“I thought the point of this was career advice,” she said, slyly, while Azula went bright pink. Her smile faded, however, when she returned to Azula’s palm. She became aware again of the awful thumping in her chest. _I’m scared. It’s now or never. What have you got to lose? Everything._

“Kiss me.” It came out as soft as her breath.

“What?”

The round grey of her eyes met the gold of Azula’s. There was no pretense now. No jokes, no innuendo. Just the pleading of her heart that she presented to Azula.

“I want you to kiss me, Azula.”

Time came to a standstill. The air was caught in her throat, and all she could hear was the rush of blood in her ears. Azula’s face seemed, for a moment, to be made of stone, so little did she move. But then her brows met in the middle her her head, and it was as if that stone wall came crashing down. She took her hand from Ty Lee’s, and placed it on her cheek, warm beneath her fingers. Certain at last, Azula rose on her knees and pulled Ty Lee towards her. Ty Lee felt she had lost all control over her body. Languid from giddiness, she let Azula support the weight of her, felt heat across the front of her body. As their lips found each other, what was first timid and fleeting became passion embodied. Everywhere Azula touched her tingled and sparked, as if she were shocking her with friction. So swept away, Ty Lee could barely begin to ask herself what was happening. All she knew was that Azula’s breath was ragged and uneven, and her arms were pulling her ever closer, that she could hear a sharp intake of breath everytime she pulled at Azula’s clothes, slipping her fingers under the red crop top. When one adventurous hand had worked itself under the top, Azula toppled backwards, taking with her the oil burner, still lit.

“We’ll start a fire. C’mon over here,” Ty Lee murmured, leading Azula to her bed.

“Do you normally charge extra for this?” 

_Such a bitch._ “Azula! This isn’t part of the palm reading,” Ty Lee replied, pushing a smirking Azula onto the bed.

\--------------

Ty Lee woke with a smile on her face. Always a heavy sleeper it was mid morning before she had even opened her eyes. She was alone in the bed, Azula having gotten up earlier. But it hadn’t been a dream. She could still see the dip in the pillow beside her. Her heart flipped when she remembered the events of the night before, and how they had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. She brought her finger to her lip, which was chapped from kissing. Raw. Her phone was flashing with texts from Suki:

_Hey Ty_

_We kicked onto Little Kyoshis_

_Didnt knock you seemed busy_ 👀 👀 👀

_Msg if you still wanna meet_

_Ty are you coming?_

_Staying at Sokkas dont wait up_

She snorted. She had no awareness of when the others had left. And she wasn’t sure who would be more afraid of sharing an apartment with Azula, Suki or Sokka. With a groan she dragged herself out of bed. In the mirror on her dressing table she saw red lipstick smeared over her mouth. And a trail of red down her neck. Looking down she saw another trail, this time over her tummy and beyond. As she wiped it off her face and neck and her face coloured pink in its place. Ty Lee left the lipstick on her tummy. _That can stay for now._ She stepped over the oil burner, still upturned and the oil soaked into the floorboards, on her way to the door. 

From the doorway she called out Azula’s name. No response. The living room was completely disheveled. _So much for all that tidying._ Crumpled cans littered the floor, cushions jumbled on the couch, someone’s jacket forgotten on the floor. On the snack table was the bag of finger limes. It looked like someone had taken a bite out of one, only to spit it out on the floor. She called Azula’s name again, and in reply she heard the kettle ring from the kitchen. _Suki?_

Azula spoke firmly, but she looked positively shy. “I wondered when you’d get up. You’ve never been much of a morning person.”

She held two mugs of coffee, both black. The one in the pink mug (with love-hearts) she held out for Ty Lee. Seeing her hesitate she quickly explained, “I’ve already added the sugar.” And although she hadn’t left enough room for the milk, Ty Lee didn’t care. She took the mug from Azula’s hand and put it on the counter behind her. For a moment, Azula looked alarmed, as if she had been chastised. Ty Lee raised her hands to her face, and kissed her. She was the happiest person in all of Ba Sing Se.

**Author's Note:**

> yeah that really blew out a lot longer than i anticipated. hope you enjoyed bc this has consumed me all week at the expense of real like work (oops). if you like my writing im also currently working on an azula alone style redemption fic ft retrospective tyzula so check that out too. 
> 
> lemme know if you enjoyed dear reader, i always love reading your comments x
> 
> p.s im on tumblr @[azuwulastan](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/azuwulastan) for writing updates and atla bullshit posting
> 
> p.s.s. i feel like we have to acknowledge that lil kyoshis would have the best drag shows in ba sing se


End file.
